George W. Bush Meets Al Sharpton, Puts Foot Firmly In Mouth

At a White House celebration of Black History Month held by President George W. Bush, the Rev. Al Sharpton was one of the guests of honor.

But then things got awkward.

Sharpton and his 21-year-old daughter, Dominique Sharpton approached the dais to formally greet President Bush.

Bush: “Rev. Al Sharpton, and his wife, Dominique — Reverend, it’s good to see you.”

Embarassed member of the auddience: (shouts) DAUGHTER!

Bush: “Daughter, daughter… I don’t get them right all the time.” (grins)

Bush: “But thank you for coming. And, Dominique, you’re sure a lot prettier than your father.”

But here’s the interesting thing. Out of every member of the press corps in attendance, the only journo to mention the incident was Russell Berman of The Sun. Coverage of the Black History Month event in the Associated Press, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Reuters all failed to mention Bush’s faux pas.

Then, as illustrated by the photo above, the Temptations performed and the tension was lifted. Because, after all, you can be in a group with almost no original members and still play the White House.

(Image via The White House)

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